The Franco-Portuguese company Eben, founded in 2017 to meet the needs of general contractors primarily in the construction and fit-out sectors, has, since 2024, focused exclusively on interior design for offices, retail, hospitality, and residential projects, as explained by Micael Costa, the company’s CEO.

How can businesses today retain customers and encourage them to return to consumption spaces?

Customer experience has become a crucial factor in hospitality, restaurants, and workspaces, as offering a functional service is no longer enough: true immersion is required. This is exemplified by an unusual restaurant in Paris’s 5th arrondissement, where 360° screens immerse guests in thematic landscapes and custom furniture enhances the unique atmosphere. This illustrates a strong trend toward personalization and staged experiences that attract and retain customers, while shorter and less predictable economic cycles force restaurateurs and hoteliers to rethink their concepts every three to four years to remain competitive and meet evolving client expectations.

How does this impact your profession, and how do you adapt to these shorter renewal cycles?

Traditional fit-out companies often struggle to meet these new demands, as their approach generally focuses on quality with fixed production timelines. We differentiate ourselves through our flexibility and ability to anticipate these changes: with an integrated approach covering both design and execution, we can react quickly and offer solutions aligned with emerging trends.

2024 marked a turning point for your company. What are your ambitions for the coming years?

Indeed, 2024 was a key milestone in our strategy, with our activities refocused exclusively on interior fit-out and a stronger emphasis on quality and customization. At the same time, we plan to develop our skills to better support our clients, optimizing lead times as well as our technical, digital, and operational expertise. Our ambition is to diversify our clientele and further improve the quality of our services through a semi-industrial approach while preserving our artisanal know-how, enabling us to offer a more comprehensive and responsive service.

You mentioned the use of new technologies. What impact could digitization and artificial intelligence have on your business?

We have embarked on a significant digital transition. The integration of new machines to automate certain tasks, along with software development, allows us to optimize production. We have already built a database of hundreds of custom pieces, which we aim to organize as a digital library. Ultimately, this data will enable us to standardize and democratize these types of pieces. In collaboration with our technicians, we are working to make this data AI-compatible, which will allow us to prototype more quickly in the future. This approach will reduce production times and help us respond more efficiently to client requests.

How do you envision the consumer spaces of tomorrow?

Retail and consumption spaces are undergoing profound transformations, largely driven by Generation Z and the generations that follow. Generation Z favors near-instant consumption and questions the very notion of ownership. They increasingly turn to eco-responsible and recyclable products, forcing brands to rethink their offerings. Another major challenge lies in their relationship to work and long-term commitment. With often fragmented career paths and the constant need to adapt, this generation seeks more flexible and personalized experiences, both in purchases and in interactions with brands. Tomorrow’s consumption spaces will therefore need to be even more immersive and specialized. Brand identity and image will play a key role in attracting and retaining customers. There is also a growing demand for niche markets and customized products, responding to an increasing desire for personalization and exclusivity. Retail and distribution actors must anticipate these changes and continuously innovate to offer unique, engaging experiences that meet the evolving expectations of consumers.

How does this digital transformation affect your employees and their work environment?

The integration of digital technologies will allow us to maintain our quality standards while increasing production volume. We will be better equipped than ever to meet deadlines, reduce errors, and provide our employees with a calmer work environment. This technical transformation should also improve efficiency by freeing up time for higher-value tasks. Economic cycles have become shorter and more unpredictable. Little Eminente Barrel in Geneva serves as the Swiss counterpart to Casa Eminente.

We are fully committed to CSR initiatives and have engaged a specialized firm to support us in this transition. Our priority is improving working conditions even before thinking about productivity. We want technology to support our work without ever dehumanizing it. On the contrary, people remain at the center of our concerns, as they are the very essence of our know-how.

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